Sesame Street Fan-Fic: Street Smarts

I’m Chapter Eight, and I’m Here to State, That the Number of Chapters Totals EightErnie dragged Bert by his wrist, pulling him to Hooper’s Store. "Ernie, what is going on?" Bert asked angrily.

"I’m not sure," Ernie said. "But I overheard Miles rushing his parents over to Hooper’s for something big, so I figured we should go check it out."

"Ugh," Bert groaned. "I don’t know how I keep up with you sometimes, Ernie."

Ernie and Bert arrived at Hooper’s behind a growing crowd of Muppets and humans alike. Ernie tapped Gina on the shoulder. "Um, excuse me Gina, but what’s all the hub-bub about?" Ernie asked.

Gina shrugged with her baby Marco in her arms. "Your guess is as good as anyone else’s. Telly was running up and down the whole street shouting about something big at Hooper’s. So we figured we all should be here."

Kermit stepped out of Hooper’s Store in his newscaster garb, and his mouth instantly fell open. Miles and Gabi rushed over to him. Kermit turned to the couple and began stuttering. "I thought you said you were just telling your parents?" he said, his voice getting higher with his stress level.

"And I only told Telly," Kermit said. "Oh, and Alan, to get permission to use the store. I guess Baby Bear and Cookie Monster were in the store at the time. Uh, and Gladys might have been walking outside when I was talking about it."

Gabi and Miles looked at each other, then back at Kermit. The frog shrugged innocently. "Word travels fast on this street."

The crowd chattering around Hooper’s Store confirmed Kermit’s observation. "Well, do you still want to go on with it?" Kermit asked. Miles and Gabi nodded. "Oh good. Now go inside Hooper’s and come out when I give the signal."

"What’s the signal?" Gabi asked.

"Trust me, you can’t miss it." Kermit pushed them off into the store. "Alright Telly, are you ready?" Kermit asked the monster.

Tell walked up next to Kermit. "Yes sir, mister Kermit, sir. But are you sure you want me operating the camera?"

Kermit smirked. "Telly, we’re not really going to be filming," Kermit said. "Just make it look like it."

Telly scratched his head. "Okay..." Telly walked off in front of Kermit, who straightened his hat on top his head.

"Alright, mister director, that’s your cue," Kermit whispered.

Grover ran out in front of Kermit carrying a Styrofoam cup of coffee and a clapboard. On top of the furry, blue monster’s head was a fedora hat. "QUIET ON THE SET!" Grover shouted. The crowd ceased their chatter as Grover continued. "Sesame Street Newsflash sketch! ACTION!" Grover clapped the clapboard and stayed in front of the camera.

Telly began to "film", and Kermit frowned at Grover. "Grover, get out of the shot!" Kermit whispered.

"Oh, right, sorry Froggy baby. I just get so confused about when I am supposed to-"

Kermit scrunched up his face. "I think I also told you not to tell anyone I told you not to record."

The crowd was utterly baffled. Kermit shook off the confusion and regained his reporter smile. "Hi-ho everyone! Kermit the Frog here, your on the street newscaster here live in front of Hooper’s Store where everyone is waiting for a big announcement to be made. Just what that announcement is, is what I’m here to find out. By asking randomly selected members of our audience, I, Kermit the Frog, will know just what this announcement is."

Kermit reached out into the audience and pulled up Herry Monster. "Hi-ho there sir, would you like to tell us just what this big announcement is?"

Herry scratched his head. "Well, gee, I would if I knew what the announcement was."

He grabbed Oscar out of the audience and put him on the spot. "Hi-ho sir, do you know what this big announcement is?"

Oscar stared at the frog. "You aren’t serious, are you?"

"Of course I am, sir, this is no laughing matter," Kermit said. He pushed the microphone to Oscar’s mouth.

Oscar pushed it away. "I don’t know what the crummy announcement is. Can I go now?"

"Yup." Kermit pushed Oscar back into the audience. "Alright folks, who’s next? Oh! You there!" Kermit walked out into the audience, Telly followed him with the camera.

Kermit stopped next to Susan and Gordon. "You two, you’ll do." He pushed them up to the "stage", then walked over to Maria and Luis. "Oh, and you two too... tutu?" he asked the camera.

Zoe did a ballet step into the shot. "I’m ready for my close up mister DeVille!"

Kermit frowned. "Yeah, well we’re not," Kermit said. Luis and Maria made their way next to Susan and Gordon.

"Kermit, what is this all about?" Gordon asked.

"Why, the announcement, of course!" Kermit said.

"What about the announcement?" Luis asked.

"What is it?" Kermit asked.

Maria groaned. "We don’t know, Kermit," she said. "Gabi just told us to come down here to hear it."

"Yeah, and Miles told us the same," Susan said.

"Miles and Gabi?" Kermit asked, loudly, waiting. Nothing happened. "Miles and Gabi, you say?" Kermit said louder, still waiting. Kermit grunted. "I think that this is our signal to move on!" he shouted.

"Oh!" Miles and Gabi’s voices said from inside Hooper’s. The two of them came running out in front of the store, standing in between their sets of parents. "Hi Kermit," they both said in unison.

"Hi-ho kids." Kermit smiled. "Now, can you tell us just what this big announcement is?"

Miles and Gabi grinned nervously. Miles bent down to Kermit. "I thought you were going to handle this?" he whispered.

"I’m winging it!" Kermit said apologetically.

"What are we supposed to do?" Miles asked.

Kermit shrugged. "Wing it."

Miles stood back up straight. "Uh, well, mom, pop, you see, Gabi and me..."

"Miles and I, well, we sorta..." Gabi started.

Kermit tapped his foot impatiently. "What they’re trying to say is-"

Elmo popped up next to Kermit. "Miles and Gabi love each other very, very much!" the furry red monster said.

All was silent. Kermit gulped, as did Miles and Gabi, Telly couldn’t keep the camera steady, because he was shaking so much, and Grover spat out his coffee. "Blech! No sugar!" Grover said. "Oh, sorry, go on."

"Mom, pop-" Miles said.

"Mommy, papi-" Gabi said.

"I’m not going with you," they both said. They were getting good at this unison thing.

All four adults stared at their children, dumbfounded. "We... well..." Maria tried to say something. "We knew you two were together, but-"

"You did?" Kermit, Miles, and Gabi all asked at once, in the same tone.

Awww, so cute Miles and Gabi being together and so cute that their parents knew! Loved everything about Kermit breaking the news and I especially love Gordon's comment about having the backseat open of the Volkswagon. Of course, I don't like that everyone is leaving but I know there's more story to come so we'll see what happens next I guess. Meaning...MORE PLEASE!

*Weeps with Toga. Noooooooo! You can't do this Prawn! Especially after Grover gave Kermit what amounted to your basic glomping. You have to save the street somehow, you can't let this happen! We won't stand for it!
Fozzie: So where do you usually go?
Statler and Waldorf: To the theater, but we can't get away from you there either.

They came to Hooper’s Store, and Big Bird had to stop. He watched a plastic bag that was stuck under a fruit stand blow in the evening wind. "I’ve never seen Hooper’s without any fruit or vegetables out front," the little girl said.

Big Bird sighed. "Neither have I." Big Bird looked down at his feet at the dust pavement. "And I’ve never seen the front of the store unswept."

They did, passing the Fix-It Shop (You know, it was the Mail-It Shop for a second"), the park, Charlie’s Restaurant ("It’s a wonder they stayed open, with Grover working there and all"), The Furry Arms Hotel, Birdland, and the rest of Sesame Street.

The two of them made their way back to 123 Sesame Street, stopping next to the familiar light post. The street lamp had yet to light, but it was about that time.

Big Bird and Caroll held hands for awhile, just standing quietly, Big Bird’s free hand caressing the lamp post. "You know, of all the things in the world," Big Bird said. "There’s none that can beat Sesame Street."

Oscar the Grouch loudly shot out of his can. "Ding-dong, you’re wrong," Oscar shouted. "I know someplace that beats this crummy place any day!"

Big Bird and Caroll looked at each other, as if asking if that was even possible. "Oh yeah," Big Bird said. "Where, Oscar?"

"New Jersey," Oscar said.

"New Jersey?" Big Bird and Caroll asked.

"Did I stutter, ya big turkey?" Oscar asked.

"How could New Jersey be better than Sesame Street, Oscar?" Big Bird asked.

"Easy," Oscar said. "New Jersey doesn’t have you!" Oscar shouted.

Big Bird looked down at his feet, not hurt by Oscar’s comment, he knew he didn’t mean it. "Yeah," Big Bird said softly. "And after today, neither will Sesame Street."

"Yeah, well... pretty soon, there won’t even be a Sesame Street!" Oscar said, hurting himself with his comment.

"There’s something else I won’t miss about this place, cute kids," Oscar said.
Big Bird sighed and sat down on the steps in front of 123 Sesame Street. "You know Oscar, of all the places here on Sesame Street, I think this is my favorite."

"Eh, what’s so great about some crummy old stoop, anyway?" Oscar grumbled.

"It’s not the stoop," Big Bird said. "It’s the steps."

"The steps?" Oscar asked.

Big Bird nodded. "They’ve seen so much through the years."

"They’re steps, feather face!" Oscar shouted. "They can’t see."

"Sure they can, Oscar," Big Bird said. "And if they could talk, wow, just imagine the stories they could tell."

"They’d say, ‘I’m glad to see youPlease stay and sing a songOr read a book, or tell a jokeAnd I will laugh along.’

"If these steps could talkThey’d say ‘I’m always hereAnd though you may not notice meYou’ll know that I am near

"‘And when you sit upon meI’m happy as can be’That’s what I think These steps would say if they could talk to me," Big Bird sang to Oscar.

Oscar, who nodded a rare, gentle nod, said, "Yeah, I think I see what you’re gettin’ at there." He looked down at the steps, then up at Big Bird and began to sing. "If these steps could talkI think that they would say‘I’ve always been right here for youEach step of the way.’

"They’d say ‘I’ve seen so many thingsAs seasons come and goI’ve seen neighbors become friendsAnd I’ve watched the children grow.’

"If these steps could talkThey’d say ‘throughout the yearsI’ve seen you laugh and share and smileI’ve even seen some tears

"‘I am just so gratefulFor all the things I see’That’s what I think these steps would sayIf they could talk to me," Oscar sang, surprisingly heartfelt.

"‘And the people on the StreetAre like my family’That’s what I think these steps would sayIf they could talk to me," Oscar and Big Bird sang together.

Ryan you tearjerker you. Big Bird and Oscar singing together! And being the last ones on Sesame Street! And how I loved that the little girl's name was Caroll! This story is so heartwrenching but it is so wonderful! Ok, I've got more tissues, bring on some more!

It’s a Lovely Eleven Chapter!The self-proclaimed cute, furry blue feet splashed in the shallow puddles as they darted through the alley.

Grover panted as his feet carried his soaking body through the downpour. The rain running down his body as his body ran down the narrow alleyway.

Grover looked behind him quickly, the shadow following him around every corner. He picked up speed in the dark night inside the dimly lit alley.

He prepared to round a corner at full speed, but slipped and collided into a bunch of trash cans. Grover quickly shot back up and continued sprinting away from the shadow behind him.

Fear ran through Grover’s body like never before, fear of what was behind him, fear of what lay ahead of him in the unfamiliar alley, fear of what would happen if what was behind him caught him at what was in front of him.

Why, oh why did I let the taxi driver drop me off here, of all places, Grover thought to himself.

This, obviously, was not where he was supposed to be.

Sesame Street was where he was supposed to be. Sesame Street was where everyone was supposed to be. And they were not there.

Which is why things like this were happening to Grover, and why things like this, or so Grover thought, would happen to everyone else.

Grover continued running down the seemingly endless chain of alleys. There were no exits to the main streets, and no entrances into buildings, or if there were any, Grover’s eyes weren’t seeing them.

The shadow continued to chase Grover, and Grover continued to grow more and more exhausted after every step.

Silently, Grover wondered if the shadow was becoming as tired as he was.

A fence.

Grover slid to a stop on the wet surface.

There was a fence blocking the path.

Grover quickly turned around, watching for the shadow. It rounded the previous corner, and Grover watched as it began to slowly walk towards him.

Either the rain was pounding extremely hard around Grover’s head, or his heart beat was up to his ears. It grew faster as the shadow grew closer.

Grover slid down to the soaking surface, leaning against the fence. The shadow came closer. Closer.

Grover pulled his knees up to his chest, his pink nose resting between his two knees. The shadow was no more than a few steps away.

Grover shut his eyes tightly. "I want my mommy!" he shouted in the moment of peril.

The rain stopped.

Grover felt something on his side, and something wet on his cheek, but it wasn’t rain.

Grover opened his eyes, and looked down at his side. A tiny puppy stood on his back feet with his front paws on Grover’s side, licking the monster’s face.

"Oh, hello there," Grover said to the puppy. "You scared old Grover!"

Grover picked up the puppy and held it in front of him. The puppy had a cute little black nose, with two cute little black eyes, a brown head with a white snout, two cute little black ears, a black torso, four teeny little brown legs with four teeny little white feet attached, and a cute, furry black tail.

"What is your name?" Grover asked the puppy. "My name is Grover."

The puppy seemed to smile at Grover, his tongue hanging out of his mouth and his tail wagging rapidly.

"Hmm," Grover said. "You do not have a collar, do you? So, you do not have an owner? Or a home?"

The puppy whimpered slightly, then returned to its perky disposition.

Grover smiled. "Aw, you are so cute. Like me, I am so cute too. You know, we would make a good team, you and I. I am cute, you are cute, and neither of us have-" Grover stopped himself.

The puppy began to bounce wildly. He lunged forward and began to lick Grover’s face all over. Grover rolled on the wet ground, laughing. "Oh, oh, stop it, please. I am so ticklish!"

The puppy retreated to Grover’s chest, standing, wagging his tail and panting.

Grover pushed himself up on his elbows. "You are certainly a spunky little fellow," he said. The puppy barked back in response. "Well, little puppy, would you like to come with furry, old Grover, and be his friend?"

The puppy nodded and barked again. Grover grinned. "Oh, good. Just what I love to hear," Grover said. "Now, um, what should your name be... oh!" Grover shouted. "I know, I will call you Scruffy!" Grover said, picking up the puppy and standing up. "My Scruffy puppy and me." Grover giggled. "What a cute pair we make."

The monster and the puppy walked out of the alley through an exit to the main streets, right next to the fence.

-~-~-~-~-~-

Hoots fluttered down in front of Birdland. He sighed, his sax hanging down over his neck, and shook his head. "Man, it just ain’t right. What is a hip, happenin’ bird like me, supposed to do on these cool nights? Without my Birdland, I’m nothin’!"

The owl sighed one last time, looked up at the nightclub, and flew off into the night sky.

The stars above Hoots twinkled in the night. "Well, at least I still got the stars lookin’ out for me." He looked down at the street below him, all the lights off. "Man, this place used to look great after dark, all the street lights on, makin’ it look real cool. But now..."

Hoots looked ahead of him, trying not to think of all his friends that had left. But still, he found himself looking down at the once-happiest street in the world below him.

His concentration on the street quickly broke, as a bolt of lightning crashed down a few miles ahead of him. Hoots tilted his head. "That’s weird," he said. "The skies are clear. Where’d that lightning come from?"

Hoots decided to fly down to where the lightning crashed, he descended down and heard the incessant counting of one, one Transylvanian immigrant.

"Four thousand, five hundred, and sewenty eight stars! Four thousand, five hundred, and sewenty nine stars!" The Count counted, pointing up at each star. "Ah ah ah!" The thunder and lightning crashed around Hoots.

The hip Owl laughed, landing on the castle’s balcony. "Hey there my cool, countin’ cat," Hoots said to the Count. "What’s shakin’, baby?"

"My cat, Fatatita, every time I count," the Count said. "She has an awful fear of thunder and lightning."

Hoots laughed again. "Man, it’s so good to see a familiar face that stuck around here."

"Of course I stayed," the Count said. "I could not leave my castle, and someone has to vatch ower the street below us."

Hoots nodded. "Cool baby, that’s a good thing you’re doin’."

The Count nodded. "I have nothing better to do," he said. "Besides count, of course, vhich I can do vhile vatching the street."

Hoots chuckled. "That’s right man," he said. "These stars sure do make some great countin’, and some great songs."

The Count looked up at the stars, so did Hoots. "Vould you like to count them with me?"

Hoots shrugged. "Sure, why not. Maybe we could make a song out of it."
"Oh, quite," said the Count.

The Count shook his head. "Nothing needs to be done tonight. They vill not vork until afternoon at least." The Count turned to go into his castle. "Tonight ve sleep, so tomorrow ve can stop that bulldozer."

The Count nodded. "Come on in. I’ll get one, one cot for you to sleep on. Ah ah ah!"

This time, Hoots didn’t flinch at the thunder and lightning. He just turned, and looked back at Sesame Street. "Hang on, Sesame Street, we’re here to keep you safe," Hoots said, then flew into the castle.